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No. 420, April 10, 1858.] T H E Ii E A D...
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ORSINI'S POSTHUMOUS PAPERS. A vEitr rema...
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THE CASE OF THE CAGLIARI. The correspond...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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America. The Bill To Admit Kansas Into T...
<» aol to await the action of the . United States authorities . ^ T ) r Bates , tried > t Auburn , Placer county , on a charge of having abstracted 48 , 000 dollars from the State Treasury , has been acquitted . General Lama has beeu formally received by the Government of Nicaragua . From Peru we learn that Vivanco , after shelling the town , landed his troops and took Arica . Half the town is in ruins . Vivanco has withdrawn his troops from Iquique .
No. 420, April 10, 1858.] T H E Ii E A D...
No . 420 , April 10 , 1858 . ] T H E Ii E A D E B ,. 341
Orsini's Posthumous Papers. A Veitr Rema...
ORSINI'S POSTHUMOUS PAPERS . A vEitr remarkable document , consisting of a letter from Orsini to Louis Napoleon , written by the former the day but one before his execution , has been published in the Piedmontese Gazette—communicated , no doubt , by the French Government . It runs thus : — " Sire , —Your Imperial Majesty having permitted that my letter written to you on the 11 th of February should be produced for public comment , whilst it is a dear proof of your generosity , shows me also that the prayers which I have offered on behalf of my country find a response in your own heart ; and to me , however near I be to death , it is certainly no small consolation to see how your Imperial Majesty is moved by genuine Italian feelings . " In a few hours I shall cease to be ; and so , before drawing my last vital breath , I wish it to be known , and I declare it with the frankness and courage which up to this day I have never belied , that assassination , in whatever garb it may be disguised , does not enter amongst my principles , although by a fatal error of mind I have allowed myself to be led on to organize the attempt of the 14 th of January . No , political assassination was not my system , and I combated it at the risk of my own life , both in my writings and by my public acts , when a governmental mission placed me in a situation to do so . " And my compatriots — far from putting faith in the system of assassination—let them reject it altogether and hold it aloof ; and let them know , even by the voice of a dying patriot , that their redemption must be won by their own self-denial , by constant unity in their efforts and sacrifices , and by the exercise of true virtue gifts which are now budding in the young _ and active portion of my fellow countrymen , and gifts which alone will be able to make Italy free , independent , and worthy of that glory with which our ancestors have made her illustrious . . " I die , but whilst I do so with calmness and dignity , I wish that my memory may not be left stained with any crime . 11 As for the victims of the 14 th of January , I offer my own blood as an atonement , and I beg the Italians , when some day they are made independent , to give a worthy compensation to all those who have suffered any injury from it . " Let your Imperial Majesty permit me , in the last place , to beg you to spare the life , not of myself , but of the two accomplices who were condemned to death with me . , . . " I am , with the profoundest respect for your Imperial Majesty , ( Signed ) " Felice Oksinjc . " Prison of La Roquette , March 11 . " There can be no doubt of the authenticity of this document in the main ; but we suspect that some of the expressions with regard to Louis Napoleon have been interpolated , or at least heightened . Orsini ' s will has also been published . It is dated " Prison of La Roquette , or Depot des CondamnCs , Paris , March 10 th , 18 o 8 . " The testator directs that , after the costs of his trial have been deducted , his money shall be divided in this way : —Eight hundred francs , at the least , are to bo laid out in purchasing a gold watch and a gold chain , to be presented to M . Jules Favre , the advocate who defended him , and to have engraved on it the following- words ;— " Felice Oraini to M . Jules Favre , souvenir . " The rest of the money is to be appropriated to the payment of the expenses of his funeral ( he desires that his body may be placed by the side of that of Ugo Foscolo , in one of the London cemeteries ) , and to the maintenance of his two little girls . He authorizes Mr . Hodge , of Glnstonbury , Somersetshire ( the gentleman recently arrested in Piedmont for supposed complicity in tho Paris plot ) , to take care of his eldest daughter , Ernestina ; and Mr . Peter Stuart , of Liverpool , to see after his second daughter , Idn . These daughters are respectively nix and five years old . Orsini desires that " tho education which they shall receive may bo entirely conformable to the principles of honesty , virtue , wisdom , and tho true lovo of their country . " Signor Enrico Cernuschi , of Milan , residing at Paris , ia named as tho executor in France , and Signor Vin-^ cenz 0 , Caldezi , _ o . fJtfnonzfl , jr . cs ^ quested to perform the likcuillcoin England . Orsini , adds : — I " I will that all my property in clothing , books , & a , I remaining with M . do Lasallo , Director of La Roquutto , , be sent to Miua Elizii Cheney , residing in London , ! England , No . 2 , dnifton-street , Aland-road , lvontiah Now Town , N . W . Mies Elisa Clionoy will dispose v * them according to her own frco and independent will , as well as of tho other Articles already left
to her before my arrest and during my imprisonment . All that I have done for her is but a very humble and very small token of remembrance of the extreme kindness and devotedness which she has shown me on all occasions . 1 recommend to my friends in England this honest and virtuous lady . "
The Case Of The Cagliari. The Correspond...
THE CASE OF THE CAGLIARI . The correspondence respecting the seizure by the Neapolitan Government of the Cagliari has just been presented to Parliament , and discloses a most extraordinary error into which Sir James Hudson , our Minister at Turin , or his secretary , has fallen . On the 5 th of January , Sir James gave the secretary , Mr . Erskine , a draft of a document to be addressed to Count Cavour , in which were the words : — "I have been instructed to ask your Excellency whether the Sardinian Government mean to object " « . to the proceedings taken by the Neapolitan Government with respect to the Uagliari . In amplifying the draft , or in making a fair copy of his own amplification , Mr . Erskine altered the words quoted to— " I have been instructed to acquaint your Excellency that her Majesty ' s Government are disposed to object , " & c . The paper was thus sent in , and , for several weeks , the Sardinian Government was under the false impression that England would protest against the Neapolitan proceedings . Mr . Erskine writes to Sir James Hudson to acknowledge that he made the alteration in the wording , to take all the blame on himself , arid to account for the error by the difficulty experienced in copying a paper of one ' s own composition . Sir James , it seems , did not examine the despatch founded on his draft , taking it for granted that his instructions had been carried out . He signed it , and sent it in . Having communicated the unfortunate facts to the Foreign Secretary ( who first became aware of the erroneous statement on the 10 th March , owing to some observations made by the Sardinian Minister , and who therefore demanded an explanation ) , Lord Malmesbury thus replies : — " March 18 . " Sir , —I have received your despatch of the loth inst ., in reply to my despatch of the 13 th inst , requesting to be informed on what authority you said , in your letter to Count Cavour of January 5 th , that her Majesty ' s Government were disposed to object to the proceedings in regard to the pursuit of the Cagliari ; and I have to state to you that your explanation is unsatisfactory , and that Mr . Erskine ' s conduct , in making so material an alteration in the sense of your letter , without calling your attention to it , is quite inexcusable , and so you will inform him , by my direction . " On the 22 nd of March , the Marquis d'Azeglio , the Sardinian Minister in London , handed in a note to Lord Malmesbury , referring to the statement in Sir James Hudson's note , and stating that " he was formally charged to request the concurrence and , if need be , the co-operation of the British Government to bring this important affair to a successful termination . " Lord Malmesbury , in his reply , states that the request will be duly considered , but in the meanwhile informs the Marquis that the expression alluded to was unauthorized and erroneous . The Sardinian Minister rejoins : — " The undersigned does not consider himself in any ; way authorized to make the slightest remark upon the < importance of a misunderstanding of this sort [ Mr . i Erskino ' s blunder ] , o / f which he received the first inti- 1 mntinn frnm hia ICxfielleiiev in his interview the day 1
before yesterday . This importance can only be equalled by that which an assertion so positive , coining from her Britannic Majesty ' s representative , must have had in the councils of tho Government of tho King . The opinions of tho English Government have too much weight with the Cabinet of Turin not to have exercised an important influence upon the determinations token at
that time . ?? But , on the other hand , tho undersigned is persuaded that he faithfully represents the sentiments of his Government in affirming that , in a question of this importance , facts ought to bo taken into consideration rather than documents , and in expressing onco more tho hope that tho two Cabinets , relying upon tho same principles of international law , may act in concert to demand that which is their due . At ^ all events , if abandoned to its own resources , tho King ' s Government has fully decided to follow up this affair with tho prudence and moderation which have characterized its acts hitherto , but also with tho energy and firmness
nence are likewise published . The late Attorney-General , Sir Richard Bethell , says : — " If it were clear that the Cagliari was forcibly captured wheu on the high seas , out of Neapolitan waters , the British Government might lawfully demand the delivery up of the two engineers ; but we are not satisfied that such , was clearly the case , and the responsibility of making a demand which , if refused , must be followed by hostilities , is most serious . It seems to us . to have been rather a case of voluntary surrender by the captain and crew than of forcible capture . "When the captain regained possession of his vessel , he assembled the crew , and it was determined to steam to Naples , there to report what had occurred ; and , if this had been done , it is clear that at Naples the captain and crew might have been lawfully arrested and tried by the Neapolitan authorities , until it was ascertained whether they had been voluntary or involuntary agents . On their course to Naples , they fall in with two Neapolitan frigates , and the captain , directing his course towards them , lowers a boat , and , having gone on board the frigate , seems to have made a voluntary statement and surrender of himself and his vessel . The crew are then put in irons , and taken as prisoners to Salerno . " An opinion signed " J . D . Harding , Queen's Advocate , " and " Henry S . Keating , Solicitor-General , " considers that , if the seizure was j ustifiable on the high seas , the Neapolitan Government has jurisdiction to try and punish the persons arrested—a conclusion opposed to that of Sir Richard Bethell , who , while believing seizure on the high seas to be lawful , denies the right of the Neapolitan Government , under such circumstances , to try and punish the captives . Lord Malmesbury , writing to Mr . Lyons at Naples , thus acknowledges the intimation of the release of Watt and the temporary removal of Park : — " Foreign-office , March 25 . " Sir , —Her Majesty ' s Government have learnt with much satisfaction the release of "Watt and the removal of Park from prison . Ypu will therefore state to M . Garafa that her Majesty ' s Government appreciate these acts of the King of Naples as resulting from the friendly feeling which his Majesty expresses towards her Majesty ' s Government ; but , at the same time , you will state that they cannot admit that the primd facie evidence which was produced , as far as it is at present known to her Majesty ' s Government , could justify the prolonged confinement to which these British subjects have been exposed , and from which they have so severely suffered . u Her Majesty ' s Government still believe that tho engineers Watt and Park were entirely ignorant of the conspiracy to seize the Cagliari , and were throughout acting under durance . —I am , & c , " Malmesbury . " A narrative , dictated by Mr . Park , has been published by the Manchester Guardian . It recapitulates the often-told story of the coercion of the crew by the insurgents , who made the seamen obey their orders by threats of instant death if they resisted . With respect to the arrest of the crew by the Neapolitan authorities , after the vessel had been vacated by the Italians , Mr . Park says : — " As soon as we got rid of our self-constituted captain , and were our own masters , we steamed off , and our captain shaped his course towards Naples , thinking it tho wiser plan to proceed thither , and make a declaration of what had occurred . Upon our way we were met t > y two Neapolitan war-steamers , that had been sent in
our pursuit ( at which time wo wore some twelve miles from shore ) , when wo were brought up by one of them firing a shot across our bows , and the captain was ordered to go on board with his ship ' s papers . Hereupon , our ship was taken possession of , and we wore escorted back to Sapri , where wo lay several days , the ofilcera of tho war-steamers telling us that they would coal to cuko 10 wuiuiur
give us us on uaguari , w « woro bound before the act of piracy took place . At last , orders came that we were to go to Naples ; and upon our arrival there wo were very much sympathized with by the man-of-war officers , who expressed themselves very sorry to see us in such an unpleasant piece of business . At last , they said we should have to go on shora for a few days , and thut then the ship would bo sot at liberty , wo should have coals given to us , and we could depart . We—taking ull those fair words for truth , and never Buspooting what was in tho wind—consented to everything , and went on shore with tho captain , crew , and passengers , when wo wore put into carriages and osoorto
which tho feeling of right und tho national dignity inspire . " Tho papers also include several despntchos which liavo piislfed'lfoTw ' e ^ Governments on tlio question of tho seizure . Tho former Government , us tho render is awaro , maintains that tho vosacl , when seized , was not within tho jurisdiction of Naples ; the latter Government asserts that tho seizure was made on tho high sous , which nro upon to ( ill nations ullko , and that consequently tho act was legal . Tho opinions of several English lawyore of
omlimmodiatoly handoulleu , ana , u oy military , woro conducted to tho Vlyurla pridon . I must not forgot to state that a gentleman belonging to the arsenal , aeoing myself' ~ and- ^ fellow-ougiino « i '~ handcuttod—togothor , ^ told ^_ who wo woro , and thu liamleull ' a were taken oil' on tho rond to the prinon . " Mr . Park confirms tho worst accounts that liave appeared of tho loathsome condition of tho prison and tho food , 'tho extortion practised by tho olllcials , und tho brutal violence to which some of tho Italian prisoners woro subjected . Tho broad was black , tho soup flltliy , tho tttmosphero pestiferous , the water
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), April 10, 1858, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_10041858/page/5/
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